Multidimensional poverty in the EU: rethinking AROPE through a multi-criteria analysis

At risk of poverty or social exclusion rate (AROPE) constitutes the pivotal indicator of living conditions and poverty in the European Union. Nevertheless, as a multidimensional poverty measure, it has some drawbacks that significantly reduce its utility. In this paper, we propose an alternative multi-criteria approach that provides some innovations for the computation of multidimensional poverty in the European countries. We first propose a normalization formula for each dimension by using a double point of reference. We then put forward alternative aggregation functions that permit diverse degrees of substitutability across dimensions. This new formulation allows us to go beyond focusing merely on the rate of people classified as AROPE, making it possible to evaluate aspects such as the intensity of multidimensional poverty and how changes over time are distributed across population in terms of shared prosperity, as showed in an illustration for the EU28 countries.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

La producción de alimentos y el rol de las ciudades en la agenda internacional

En Abril del año 2016 la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas proclamó el “Decenio de acción sobre la nutrición de la ONU para 2016-2025”. Es un paso importante para reducir el hambre y mejorar la nutrición en un mundo donde casi 800 millones de personas padecen subalimentación crónica y más de 2000 millones de personas sufren deficiencias de micronutrientes (…) Otros 1900 millones de personas tienen sobrepeso, y 600 millones de ellas son obesas. La prevalencia de personas con sobrepeso u obesas está aumentando en casi todos los países (…) La resolución hace un llamamiento para que la FAO y la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) lideren la implementación del “Decenio de acción sobre la nutrición”, en colaboración con el Programa Mundial de Alimentos (PMA), el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA) y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), y empleen mecanismos de coordinación como el Comité Permanente de Nutrición del Sistema de las Naciones Unidas (UNSCN) y plataformas de múltiples partes interesadas, como el Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria Mundial (CSA). (http://www.fao.org/).EEA MendozaFil: Perez, Martin Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Martin Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras; ArgentinaFil: Giobellina, Beatriz Liliana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. Agencia de Extensión Rural Córdoba; Argentin

Effects of minor compounds from virgin olive oil on inflammatory response in human leukocytes

Mediterranean diet protects against cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, now considered an inflammatory disorder. Virgin olive oil is one of the most important foods in this diet, leading to the suggestion that health benefits of Mediterranean diet are achieved at least partially due to the consumption of virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the highest quality oil based on its chemical and sensorial properties. Our aim was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of minor compounds found in the unsaponifibale fraction of EVOO on activated human monocytes and neutrophils. For this purpose, we isolated monocytes and neutrophils from blood samples of healthy volunteers. We also isolated the unsaponifiable fraction (UF) from EVOO. Cells were incubated with UF at different concentrations and the pro-inflammatory stimulus LPS. Afterwards, RNA was obtained from cells and then converted into cDNA. The relative gene expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers was assessed by qRT-PCR. We found that UF from EVOO reduced relative gene expression of pro-inflammatory markers in a dose-dependent manner both in human monocytes and neutrophils. In contrast, UF from EVOO increased relative gene expression of anti-inflammatory markers in these cells. These findings unveil a role of UF from EVOO in the benefits from consumption of EVOO in disorders related to inflammation

Benzotriazole-based multidonor-acceptor systems as attractive two-photon absorption dye platforms

Pyrazine-decorated benzotriazole cores allow the orthogonal combination of two dipolar systems within a single molecule. A series of this type of derivatives was synthesized and their photophysical features were studied. The properties of these compounds showed remarkable differences in function depending on the substitution in the pyrazine ring of the benzotriazole core. Furthermore, the two-photon absorption property (2PA) was studied to determine the structure-properties relationship for the reported compounds. The best dye achieved a crosssection of 1532 GM, which was higher than values previously obtained for similar D-π-A-π-D benzotriazole derivatives. TD-DFT calculations, which supported the experimental observations, indicating the interaction between the two dipolar systems was responsible for enhancing the 2 PA properties and favoring bathochromic shifts.PCI2019-111825-2, PID2019-104293GB-I00, UMA18-FEDERJA-007, SBPLY/17/180501/000189, PID2020-119636GB-I00 , RED2018-102331-T, Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Description of atmospheric gravity waves in the Buenos Aires coast, Argentina

En este trabajo se estudiaron las perturbaciones de la presión atmosférica en alta frecuencia (ondas de gravedad atmosféricas, OGA) registradas en Mar del Plata durante 2013. Mediante el análisis realizado con el método espectral wavelets se obtuvo que las duraciones de los lapsos de actividad, la estructura espectral, la intensidad energética y las amplitudes de las OGA son diferentes para cada evento. En general, los eventos activos duran entre 5 y 20 h y las máximas fluctuaciones de presión están comprendidas entre 0.5 y 2 hPa, con periodicidades típicas entre 30 y 150 min. De los 37 casos de OGA detectados se encontró que 24 están asociado a frentes fríos, 9 a frentes cálidos, y 4 están relacionados con otros forzantes sinópticos. Se encontró que la mayoría de los eventos ocurren cuando la zona frontal se ubica al N de la Patagonia y se desplaza hacia el E o NE. Se utilizó el modelo Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) para simular dos casos. En el primero se observó un frente frío y un ciclón en superficie al S de la provincia de Buenos Aires y sobre el océano mientras que en el segundo, un frente cálido al S de Buenos Aires que luego se desplazó hacia el NO como frente frío. Los resultados obtenidos con el modelo WRF indicarían que la dirección predominante de propagación de OGA en la región costera bonaerense sería hacia el E-NE, discrepando con los escasos antecedentes disponibles para la región que indican que la dirección de propagación sería hacia el ESE-SE.High-frequency perturbations of the atmospheric pressure (atmospheric gravity waves, AGW) measured at Mar del Plata in 2013 are studied in the present paper. Implementing the wavelet spectral method it was obtained that the duration of the active lapses, the spectral structure, the energy and the amplitudes of AGW are different for each event. It was found that, in general, active events last between 5 and 20 h and that the maximum pressure fluctuations range between 0.5 and 2 hPa, with typical oscillations between 30 and 150 min. From the 37 active cases of AGW, it was established that 24 are associated with cold fronts, 9 with warm fronts, and 4 are related to other synoptic systems. It was found that most of the events occur when the frontal zone is located at the northern Patagonia and moves towards the E or NE. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was implemented and two cases were simulated. In the first case, a cold front and a cyclone located at the southern Buenos Aires Province and on the ocean were observed. In contrast, in the second case, a warm front was observed at the southern Buenos Aires Province, which then moved towards the NW as a cold front. The results achieved with the WRF model indicate that the predominant direction of propagation in the coastal region of Buenos Aires could be towards E-NE, in disagreement with the available scarce background for the region indicating that the direction of propagation could be towards the ESE-SE.Fil: Perez, Iael. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Dragani, Walter Cesar. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Saucedo, Marcos Adolfo. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Godoy, Alejandro Anibal. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cerne, Silvia Bibiana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Paula Beatriz. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Departamento de Geografía. Cátedra de Geografía Argentina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Índice de provisión de hábitat potencial para la biodiversidad de controladores biológicos en un paisaje de interfase urbano rural en Mendoza, Argentina

La expansión urbana sobre paisajes agrícolas genera interfases urbano-rurales. La coexistencia de usos del suelo agrícolas y residenciales puede promover conflictos en torno al uso de plaguicidas. En Mendoza, Argentina, la escasez del recurso hídrico limita el traslado de la agricultura más allá de las áreas irrigadas, por lo que es importante mejorar esta convivencia. Para disminuir el uso de plaguicidas se necesitan estrategias asentadas en funciones ecosistémicas como el control biológico de plagas por conservación. Esta estrategia depende de la biodiversidad funcional presente en el paisaje; en especial, de las comunidades vegetales con capacidad de brindar hábitat a especies de artrópodos, parasitoides y depredadores generalistas. El objetivo de este trabajo fue construir un índice para evaluar la capacidad de proveer hábitat potencial para los controladores biológicos (IHPB) en diferentes ambientes de un paisaje, con el fin de aportar conocimientos para el ordenamiento ambiental territorial de áreas de interfase. El IHPB se construyó a partir de 5 indicadores y se puso a prueba en el distrito de Lunlunta (Maipú, Mendoza). Se clasificó el área de estudio en 6 unidades de paisaje (UP): Natural de secano, Natural de ribera, Seminatural, Agrícola convencional, Agrícola biodiverso y Urbana. En ellas se realizaron censos de vegetación para calcular los indicadores. El valor más alto de IHPB ocurrió en la UP Natural de secano por la alta diversidad y la cobertura total y de especies arbóreas y arbustivas nativas presentes en su comunidad vegetal; el IHPB más bajo ocurrió en la UP Agrícola convencional. Su aplicación confirmó la importancia de las áreas naturales en cuanto a su potencialidad para sostener a la entomofauna benéfica base para el control biológico de plagas, y la necesidad de mejorar las condiciones de hábitat en los ambientes agrícolas.Urban sprawl over agricultural landscapes generates urban-rural interfaces. The coexistence of agricultural and residential land uses can promote conflicts over the use of pesticides. In Mendoza (Argentina), the scarcity of water resources is a constraint for moving agriculture beyond irrigated areas, so it is important to improve this coexistence. In order to reduce the use of pesticides, strategies based on ecosystem functions such as biological pest control through conservation are necessary. This strategy depends on the functional biodiversity present in the landscape, especially on plant communities with the capacity to provide habitat for arthropod species, parasitoids and generalist predators. The objective of this work was to construct an index to evaluate the capacity to provide potential habitat for biological controllers (IHPB) in different areas of a landscape, in order to provide knowledge for the territorial environmental management of interface areas. The IHPB was constructed from five indicators and evaluated in the Lunlunta district (Maipú, Mendoza). The study area was classified into six landscape units (UP): Dryland natural, Riverside natural, Semi-natural, Conventional agricultural, Biodiverse agricultural and Urban, in which vegetation censuses were conducted for the calculation of the indicators. The IHPB showed the highest value in the Dryland natural UP due to the high diversity, total cover and native tree and shrub species present in its plant community; the lowest was registered in Conventional agriculture. Its application confirmed the importance of natural areas in terms of their potential to sustain the beneficial entomofauna base for the biological control of pests, and the need to improve habitat conditions in agricultural environments.EEA MendozaFil: Del Barrio, Lucia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Fruitos, Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Junin; ArgentinaFil: Fruitos, Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sarandon, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales. CIC-LIRA; ArgentinaFil: Portela, Jose Antonio. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Consulta; ArgentinaFil: D'Amario, Julieta. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Martin Velasco, Maria J. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Instituto de Geología de Costas y del Cuaternario; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Martin Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; Argentin

The tomato mutant ars1 (altered response to salt stress 1) identifies an R1-type MYB transcription factor involved in stomatal closure under salt acclimation

[EN] A screening under salt stress conditions of a T-DNA mutant collection of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) led to the identification of the altered response to salt stress 1 (ars1) mutant, which showed a salt-sensitive phenotype. Genetic analysis of the ars1 mutation revealed that a single T-DNA insertion in the ARS1 gene was responsible of the mutant phenotype. ARS1 coded for an R1-MYB type transcription factor and its expression was induced by salinity in leaves. The mutant reduced fruit yield under salt acclimation while in the absence of stress the disruption of ARS1 did not affect this agronomic trait. The stomatal behaviour of ars1 mutant leaves induced higher Na+ accumulation via the transpiration stream, as the decreases of stomatal conductance and transpiration rate induced by salt stress were markedly lower in the mutant plants. Moreover, the mutation affected stomatal closure in a response mediated by abscisic acid (ABA). The characterization of tomato transgenic lines silencing and overexpressing ARS1 corroborates the role of the gene in regulating the water loss via transpiration under salinity. Together, our results show that ARS1 tomato gene contributes to reduce transpirational water loss under salt stress. Finally, this gene could be interesting for tomato molecular breeding, because its manipulation could lead to improved stress tolerance without yield penalty under optimal culture conditions.This work was funded by a research project (AGL2012-40150-C01/C02/C03) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). This work was also supported by grant RYC2010-06369 (Ramon y Cajal Programme) from the MINECO to NF-G and grant E-30-2011-0443170 (JAE-Doc Programme) from the Spanish Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) to IE and BP. The authors have no conflict of interests to declareCampos, JF.; Cara, B.; Perez-Martin, F.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Egea, I.; Flores, FB.; Fernandez-Garcia, N.... (2016). The tomato mutant ars1 (altered response to salt stress 1) identifies an R1-type MYB transcription factor involved in stomatal closure under salt acclimation. Plant Biotechnology Journal. 14(6):1345-1356. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.124981345135614